Title: The Wizor Fair
Author: Robert A.G. Erickson
Publisher: BookVenture Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-1-946735-36-2
Pages: 272
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction
Interviewed by: Christa Hill
Author Interview with Robert A.G. Erickson
Robert A. Erickson
Today we are talking with Robert A.G. Erickson author of “The Wizor Fair.”
PBR: Were you going for a retro feel when you wrote The Wizor Fair?
No, I wrote the original version in 1993, but I updated and refreshed it in 2016. That may have contributed to the overall effect, but perhaps it’s just my style. I don’t subscribe to the modern style of hashing sentences into impossible fragments.
PBR: Do you have plans of writing more books to accompany this one?
I have plans to write a sequel to The Wizor Fair. I think that it’s begging for one. It pretty much begins where the first one ends. However, I have other projects I intend to finish eventually
PBR: Where did you get your inspiration?
I’m inspired mostly by plugging my life experiences into a fantasy world and going with the flow.
PBR: If you could change one thing about this story, what would it be?
While trying to reduce the length of the book, I had to make major decisions on what to cut. I considered reducing it further by editing out some of the interaction with the Bugowards, but I think it would have reduced the charm of the book.
PBR: How do you select the names of your characters in “The Wizor Fair.”
The names seem to come from the ether as I flesh out the plot. Sometimes I note a name I see in real life that I like and use that; however, the sorcerer’s names went through several adaptive iterations.
PBR: What is your writing process like?
Generally, I just start writing and filling in the blanks, but I’ve found that the writing process proceeds faster if I outline the plot chapter by chapter and flesh out the characters as I go. I write the first chapters, but if I have writer’s block, I pick another aspect of the plot and write a chapter for that. Often enough, it suggests a way to fill in the blanks. I write a chapter very quickly, but then I go back and flesh it out. If something doesn’t work, I have no remorse in throwing out a chapter when it strays from the overall plot.
PBR: What advice do you have for writers?
If someone is serious about writing, then he has to begin, stick to a schedule, and see the work through to the end. That means establishing a regular schedule. The hard part is the editing process, which often takes much longer to perfect the plot, and flesh out the characters. I am very picky with spelling, grammar and punctuation. There are no shortcuts.
